How can you see a character like Takumi (not to mention his two cohorts Saia and Tetsu) in a record shop and not want to make his portrait! Talk about photogenic! I spotted these three inside Coconuts and wanted to make each their portraits, not realizing they were pals until they walked out together. Takumi &Co were instantly receptive to the Tokyo Record Style pitch, and as we got to talking, I learned that while Takumi is Japanese, Saie and Tetsu are from Mainland China and living in Japan, which sparked a conversation about Chinese and Taiwanese Pop, Indie and Underground. I pointed out some past TRS people that I photographed with such records, and soon we were talking about MoguMogu LiveHouse/Cafe/RecordShop in Asagaya and Uptown Records on Koenji, both especially in-the-know about this music, the latter run by Sacco, a fellow American who relocated to Tokyo after many years in Shanghai where there is still another Uptown Records if I remember correctly. I embarrassingly haven’t been to either, but I’ll make it to both eventually, to which I’m very much looking forward, as this music genre, which I know absolutely nothing about intrigues me more and more I hear it, and hear of it.
Takumi scored a copy Shintaro Sakamoto’s “Like A Fable” which I have been streaming this afternoon as I write. Really groovy laid-back record, city-poppish. Shintaro Sakamoto was the founding member and frontman for the underground Japanese psychedelic rock band, Yura Yura Teikoku who has been producing records (and instrumental duties on OOIOO) and putting out solo work since Yura Yura Teikoku broke up in 2010. This is a record I could listen to hundreds of more times on lazy Sunday afternoons. It’s fantastic. And there is either something about the vibe of this music that is perfectly personified in Takumi’s looks and style, or the other way around. Either way, the hunch is that, if you are vibing off Takumi’s smile, hat, cool jeans, and hip cohorts, then hunch is, you’d dig this record.
Lastly, I asked them each for some essential underground listening and Tatsu recommended Taiwanese indie-rockers “No Party for Cao Dong”, Saie recommended indie rock trio from Beijing, “Carsick Cars” and Takumi recommended J-poppers “Siamese Cats”. Can’t wait to meet Takumi, Saie, and Tetsu again! More Tokyo Record Style on the way!
Shintaro Sakamoto – Like A Fable [物語のように]
Label: Zelone Records – ZEL-027
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition
Country: Japan
Released: Sep 30, 2022
Genre: Rock, Pop
https://www.discogs.com/release/24662879-Shintaro-Sakamoto-Like-A-Fable-%E7%89%A9%E8%AA%9E%E3%81%AE%E3%82%88%E3%81%86%E3%81%AB
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